PrestaShop 1.7 to 9 Migration
Leave 1.7 behind and land on 9 without breaking the shop.
Two version jumps, one controlled project: 1.7 to a stabilised 8.x, then 8.x to 9.x. Smarty theme rebuilt in Twig, modules and overrides rewritten, full QA on staging before we touch production.
A shop still running 1.7 faces two major jumps: the modernisation brought by PrestaShop 8 (PHP 8.1+, cleaned-up back office), then the move to PrestaShop 9 (Symfony 7, Twig 3, the end of Smarty in the back office). PrestaShop offers no direct 1.7 to 9 upgrade path, so we go through a stabilised, tested 8.x first, then on to 9.
If your shop already runs 8.x, see our PrestaShop 8 to 9 migration page instead.
How we can help
Audit of the existing 1.7
Exact version, PHP, modules, overrides, theme, database size. Costed report before a single line of code.
Two-stage migration
1.7 to 8.x, QA, then 8.x to 9.x. PrestaShop has no direct upgrade path.
Smarty theme to Twig
Templates rebuilt, Smarty helpers gone, responsive behaviour and Core Web Vitals checked.
Modules and overrides
Rewritten for Symfony 7 and 9.x hooks, with obsolete overrides removed. The code is yours.
Database and history
Product, category, customer and order IDs preserved. No broken links, no redirects to redo.
Go-live and rollback
Go-live in a short window, rollback ready if anything goes wrong, 72 h monitoring.
How we work
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01
Free 30-minute audit
We look at the shop over a screen share, measure the gap to 9 and price the work.
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02
Fixed quote within 24 h
Clear scope, committed price, committed deadline. No open day rate, no surprises.
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03
Stage 1: 1.7 to 8.x
On staging: PHP upgrade, modules, overrides, theme. You sign off on a healthy 8.x.
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04
Stage 2: 8.x to 9.x
Symfony 7, Twig 3, modules on 9.x. Checkout and back office tested end to end.
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05
Go-live and follow-up
Go-live in a short window, 72 h monitoring, 30 days of support included after the switch.
Tech stack
Guides & documentation.
Documentation
Ready when you are.
No pitch — just an honest assessment of your project in 20 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Why not migrate straight from 1.7 to 9?
Because PrestaShop does not support it. The official upgrade tool expects a stable 8.x as its starting point to move to 9.x. So we work in two stages: 1.7 to 8.x, with its own QA cycle, then 8.x to 9.x. It is also safer, since each stage isolates its own regressions instead of mixing everything into a single jump.
How long does the whole project take?
For a standard shop (average catalogue, 5 to 15 third-party modules, lightly modified theme): 15 to 20 working days. For a complex shop (large catalogue, many overrides, heavily customised theme, ERP connector): 25 to 40 days. The quote commits to a delivery date to the day once the audit is done.
How much does it cost?
From €6,000 for a clean, lightly modified 1.7. A shop with many overrides, an old bespoke theme and custom modules typically lands between €10,000 and €25,000. The 30-minute pre-audit is free and the quote is fixed, not time and materials.
Will my 1.7 modules work on 9?
Rarely as they are. A module written for 1.7 often relies on hooks that have since been removed, Smarty helpers in the back office and calls dropped in 9. The audit lists every module with its status: compatible, vendor update available, needs rewriting, or needs replacing. For commercial modules, the vendor licence usually covers version 9 at no extra cost.
What about my theme?
It is the heaviest part of the project. A 1.7 theme is built on Smarty and on templates that both 8 and 9 have moved. Two options depending on its condition: rebuild it as-is on the Classic or Hummingbird base shipped with 9, or redesign if the original is a purchased theme its vendor has abandoned. We price both in the quote.
My 1.7 runs on PHP 7.x, is that a blocker?
No, but it is part of the job. PrestaShop 8 requires PHP 8.1 as a minimum and 9 targets 8.1 to 8.3 depending on the minor version. The PHP upgrade happens during the first stage, on staging, along with a review of any code that breaks on recent versions (removed functions, typing, dynamic calls).
Could I lose orders, customers or SEO rankings?
No, provided the migration is done properly. Product, category, customer and order IDs are preserved exactly, and URLs do not change unless you ask for it. The sitemap and existing redirects are kept, and Search Console monitoring after go-live is included to confirm no signal drops.
Migrate or rebuild the shop from scratch?
A fair question when the 1.7 is very old. Migrating keeps your history, URLs, customers and SEO, and it is the right call in most cases. Rebuilding from scratch makes sense when the theme is dead, the overrides are beyond repair and the catalogue has to be reworked anyway. The audit settles it with numbers, not gut feeling.
What is NOT included in the price?
The price covers the technical migration: code, database, modules, existing theme. Not included by default: visual redesign, new features, hosting change, and back-office training. Any of these can be added to the quote on request.